“The brothers were at the back of the church, apart,” royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “They neither spoke to each other nor were seen looking at each other.”
“Prince William and Harry are currently not on speaking terms, and everything was carefully choreographed so that they wouldn’t have to interact with each other,” Kinsey Schofield, host of the “To Di For Daily” podcast, told Fox News Digital. “There was nothing joint about this appearance. It was two family members showing their respect in a personal capacity. Off duty.”
While it was “significant” for Harry to attend the funeral , “The King” author Christopher Andersen said to Fox News Digital that “this is proof positive that the war of the Windsor brothers continues.”
“There’s clearly still plenty of bad blood between them,” he added.
The estrangement between the brothers stemmed from Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal exit in 2020.
According to a royal expert, Prince Harry and Prince William did not interact with each other during the funeral for their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes. Photo by Kirsty O'Connor – WPA Pool/Getty Images
The reason for the couple’s exit was claimed to be what they described as the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
The release of Harry’s autobiography, “Spare,” only fueled the fire as he offered intimate details of the royal family and happenings behind closed doors.
In the book, Harry alleged that during an argument in 2019, William called Meghan “difficult” and “rude” and then grabbed him by the collar and knocked him down. Harry suffered cuts and bruises from landing on a dog bowl.
According to the expert, Harry and William are not on speaking terms and still have “bad blood.” Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Harry claimed Charles implored the brothers to make up. Following the funeral of Charles’ father, Prince Philip, in 2021, the king pleaded, “Please, boys, don’t make my final years a misery.”
“Prince Harry has done irreparable damage to his relationship with his brother,” said Schofield. “Harry can deny his intention in hurting members of his family through the release of ‘Spare,’ but quotes like, ‘his alarming baldness, more advanced than my own; his famous resemblance to Mummy, fading with time.’ That was unnecessary and cruel. That came from a place of envy and bitterness.”
“With a paperback release of ‘Spare’ due in October, I think Harry really missed an opportunity to update the book with a sincere apology for all the hurt that he’s caused,” Schofield added.
The princes’ estrangement stemmed from Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the royal family. Photo by Kirsty O'Connor – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Harry had another opportunity to face his brother earlier this summer.
In June, the Prince of Wales attended the wedding of Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, and Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral in northern England.
While the Duke of Sussex was invited to attend, Harry declined in an effort to avoid an “awkward” encounter with William, a royal expert told Fox News Digital at the time.
“Even if Harry showed up and slunk into the back row, there would be enough press coverage and general hysteria over the two brothers being in the same room to overshadow the wedding entirely,” Anderson told Fox News Digital in June.
“Harry’s presence would have turned the whole affair into a media circus, and he didn’t want to do that to his friend,” he added. “If he learned that Harry had accepted the invitation, it’s likely that William would have backed out. Harry knows this.”
“This is the future, I’m afraid,” he concluded. “There is no sign at the moment that William is willing to give an inch.”
During the king’s coronation in May, the brothers — who sat separately — were never seen speaking to or even acknowledging each other.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Bogota, Colombia, on Aug. 16, 2024. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images
The Prince of Wales has allegedly made it known that when he is eventually crowned king, he wants his coronation to “look and feel different,” the UK Sunday Times reported this month.
A close friend told the outlet that William does not want the Duke of Sussex present.
“They are estranged, which is dreadfully sad,” one of the brothers’ closest friends claimed to the outlet.
“Despite all the bad blood between the brothers, I’m convinced that, when the time does come, William will not be foolish enough to exclude his only sibling, now fifth in line to the throne, from his coronation,” Andersen told Fox News Digital at the time.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this post.
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